"AI helps us achieve excellence in services to our clients"

In recent years, sustainability has become not only a necessity for the planet but also a commitment for companies and institutions. To move towards a more sustainable and efficient society and industry, new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have emerged as a fundamental tool to optimize processes and improve productivity.

Aware of the value and importance of these new technologies, Naturgy has committed to deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in its different modalities and areas of application, implementing it both in the work environment of its employees and in business operations or customer service. The incorporation of these new technologies is always carried out prudently and responsibly, as Rafael Blesa, CIO (Chief Information Officer) of the energy group, insists. Only in this way can cybersecurity and data protection be guaranteed, on the one hand, and optimal customer care and service, on the other.

--- Why is it necessary for Naturgy to bet on and invest in artificial intelligence?Naturgy, historically, has believed in and committed to technology to support its business objectives. In fact, a large percentage of the group's investments is allocated to digital technologies and innovation. Thus, the great technological revolutions of recent decades have been incorporated ---from the digitalization of processes, the appearance of the Internet, or the telecommunications revolution---, and, for this reason, the company has now decided to invest in the latest great technological innovation, artificial intelligence. A concept that, although already known since the middle of the last century, in recent years is beginning to be implemented on a large scale, revolutionizing work processes with generative artificial intelligence, that is, that which is capable of generating and interpreting texts or images.--- In what projects and areas is artificial intelligence applied?Naturgy has been implementing AI for years. For example, through images captured with drones, AI is capable of monitoring and detecting failures in electricity distribution infrastructures. Thus, it is also capable of warning of the arrival of birds to wind farms, acting preventively by paralyzing windmills; or we also use it to anticipate the detection of fires in large forest masses. However, artificial intelligence is now also capable of generating text and images, a type of technology that can help us solve problems that, until now, had no solution. --- What is the difference between a literal translation and a free translation?A literal translation is one that adheres as closely as possible to the source text, translating word for word, maintaining the original syntax and structure as much as possible. The goal is to convey the exact meaning of the original text without adding interpretations or stylistic changes. This type of translation is often used in legal, scientific, or technical contexts where precision and fidelity to the original are crucial.A free translation, on the other hand, allows for greater flexibility and adaptation to the target language and culture. The translator focuses on conveying the overall meaning and intent of the source text, rather than translating word for word. This may involve rephrasing sentences, adapting idioms, or making stylistic changes to make the text sound more natural and fluent in the target language. Free translation is often used in literary, marketing, or journalistic contexts where readability and cultural relevance are important.Here's a table summarizing the key differences:| Feature | Literal Translation| Free Translation || :------------------ | :--------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------- || **Fidelity**| High fidelity to the source text, word-for-word. | High fidelity to the meaning, not necessarily word-for-word. || **Syntax/Structure**| Preserves original syntax and structure. | Adapts syntax and structure to the target language.|| **Style** | Maintains original style, may sound unnatural. | Adapts style to sound natural in the target language. || **Interpretation**| Avoids interpretation, focuses on exact meaning. | Allows for interpretation to convey intent.|| **Contexts**| Legal, scientific, technical, official documents.| Literary, marketing, journalistic, creative texts. || **Risk**| May sound unnatural or awkward in the target language. | May deviate from the original meaning if not careful. |In essence, a literal translation prioritizes accuracy and precision, while a free translation prioritizes naturalness and readability. The choice between the two depends on the purpose of the translation and the nature of the text.How do you incorporate this new AI typology?With caution and responsibility. It is fundamental that artificial intelligence be applied responsibly to do so in a safe way. Faced with technological threats, we also apply technological solutions, but always with caution.--- How is AI applied in customer service?Naturgy is the first energy company, as well as the first large company in Spain, to replace the first phase of interaction in calls (keypad pressing) with generative artificial intelligence. This is a pioneering project that has been extended to different areas of the company, currently covering the five million customers of Nedgia, our natural gas distributor, as well as the more than four million customers of UFD, the electricity distributor, and also the users of the regulated retailer. With this technological solution, we improve customer service. In this way, AI helps us achieve excellence in services to our customers.--- What benefits does the use of this technological solution have?Our goal is to improve customer service.In addition, the company has a greater capacity to understand the client and resolve their requests. Likewise, artificial intelligence also allows us to analyze the quality of our service to continue improving it continuously. Now, for example, AI helps us calculate the satisfaction index and determine if there is a message that should be modified to make it more understandable for our clients.

"The incorporation of new technology must always be aligned with business objectives"

--- Beyond calls, you have also incorporated AI into your new marketer. In what way?--- Indeed: we have launched a new technological platform for all our clients that, being digitally native and having incorporated AI, allows us to leverage the potential of technology. And, furthermore, we have done it in record time: migrating client data for almost half a year without this change affecting operations or service. This new platform is already yielding good results and has managed to improve customer satisfaction, being faster and more intuitive. --- But artificial intelligence is not only being applied to improve customer service, but also in internal processes. In what areas?Yes, we are working to incorporate AI into the work environment. Thus, on the one hand, we are carrying out a technological deployment of AI thanks to agreements with companies like Microsoft, and its virtual assistant, Copilot. On the other hand, we believe it is also essential to train workers so that they acquire certain skillsdigitales that allow them to harness the potential of these new technologies. For this reason, we have developed a Digital Academy with a wide variety of courses, with more than 10,000 hours of training for our employees.

"One of the great advantages of this tool is that, with a relatively small investment and reduced deadlines, processes can be optimized quickly and efficiently"

--- What are the challenges when applying these new technologies to the work environment?One of the great challenges companies face is the lack of specialized digital talentin this area, for being so recent. In addition, another of the great challenges is that AI does not remain only a pilot test, but can truly scale and permeate the entire company. It is very difficult to implement these tools on a large scale because, although they incorporate new features almost weekly, they also require a period of maturity.--- How can AI help advance the energy transition?The incorporation of new technology must always be aligned with business objectives. In fact, this is the great mission of the technology team: to devise how new technologies can align with the company's values and needs. As one of Naturgy's primary objectives is theenergy transitionand thedecarbonizationof the industry, AI and new technologies must be put at the service of this goal. One of the great advantages of this tool is that, with a relatively small investment and reduced deadlines, processes can be optimized quickly and efficiently, ensuring that projects are developed with the greatest possible efficiency. For example, artificial intelligence can be useful to determine where to install a wind farm or photovoltaic panels, as well as offer energy efficiency recommendations to customers based on their consumption pattern.

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